I know nothing about Somalia, neither its food, its culture, or its people. I’m Amurrican, damn it. Trying to broaden my palate, though, I sought out Zain, a tiny Somalian eatery that shares its building with an African grocery store, up a hill and behind a parking lot from Military Road in Tukwila. Nobody’s going to find this place unless they’re looking for it, but it’s worth looking for.
I’d come at about 9AM, and the sign said they opened at 8, but the front door was locked. I peered through, saw nobody at the tables or at the counter, but bags of rice were stacked in a corner of the store. Brilliantly I deduced that if looking through the restaurant’s window lets you see into the store, that might be the path to follow. Into the grocery I went, turned right, and yup, just past the rice was the restaurant.
It was empty, with a big ol’ flat screen TV that was blaring, and I hate that. But I’d come for breakfast, so I walked to the counter, looked at some pastries on display, and read the menu. It was only a moment until a very nice, very black lady emerged from a back room.
“Good morning,” she said with an authentic accent, and wearing the African get-up women wear, complete with the head-mitten. That thing must get sweaty in the summertime, or if she’s the cook, and I think she was the cook. No other employees were seen by me.
The menu offers omelets ‘n such, but I wanted something Somali, so I ordered the breakfast suqaar, which parenthesis told me is a Somali chicken stew. The lady asked, “Would you like something to drink? Tea?”
I’m not a tea person, but when in Somalia, do what the Somalis do, so I said, “Sure,” and sat at one of the empty tables, out of eyesight of the TV.
Would it be rude, I wondered, to ask her to turn the TV off? While I wondered, two other customers came in, and the man walked to the counter to order, while the woman sat at one of the tables, and studied the TV like there’s gonna be a test. Sighing, I resigned myself to breakfast with The Today Show.
The tea came quickly, and it was very hot, cinnamony, and very, very good. First time I’ve had tea since my now-dead pal Joey made me some, when he came to visit, circa 2019. Joey was a tea guy, and might’ve liked that cinnamon brew, like I did.
Waiting while my breakfast was stewed, the TV was, surprisingly, not as annoying as I’d dreaded. The Today Show has always been vapid and it’s gotten worse, with simply nothing that I’d call news, only celebrities and more celebrities, eternal Al Roker with the weather, and an interview with some shitty self-help author.
What made it bearable is that the restaurant must have some high-tech device that replaces the commercials with light jazz. “We’ll be back after this,” someone said, and then came sax and trumpet and bass. It was actually nice! Then, after a few minutes of jazz, back to Savannah (a person, not the city) and Craig. All through breakfast, it was the stupidity of teevee news with Savannah and Craig, but without the stupidity of teevee commercials.
As for breakfast, it was a bowl of stew with a stack of unfamiliar bread, and when the cook/waitress brought it, like an all-American white boy I thought she’d forgotten my silverware. Even cleared my throat to say “Excuse me,” before it hit me that Somalia and Ethiopia are neighbor nations, so the cuisine must be like Ethiopian — no silver. Eat with your hands, silly. You tear off chunks of the bread, and use it to pinch bites of the stew.
The stew was extremely generous with the tender, delicious chicken, and also had chickpeas, onions, carrots, some great but not tongue-burning spices, and a little liquid but not much. Imagine a chunky soup, but a thousand times better than Campbell’s and without the soup. The flavors were complicated but inviting, and the bread was akin to fry bread, soft and luscious. This was my first Somali meal, but I’ve had plenty of stews, and Zain’s was among the best.
It’s also a bake shop, so for dessert I had a pastry. They offer typical-looking doughnuts and danish and such, but I picked something that looked exotic, maybe Somali. Didn’t catch what it was called, but it was airy and flaky with ‘puff’ inside — that’s what I’m calling it. The ‘puff’ looked like whipped cream but had more substance, and almost crunched with every bite. Mmmm.
On my way out, I shopped in the African grocery, which has no peanut butter, and a surprisingly small selection of vegetables. Some great African candies, though.
But I’m reviewing the restaurant not the grocery, and the restaurant was seriously something special. I’ll be back. Turn off the TV, please.
3/16/2025
Zain Restaurant & Bakery
15035 Military Rd S, SeaTac/Tukwila
Food & drink: excellent
Dessert: excellent
Price: good
Service: good, except for the damned TV
Transit: #124, #128, Link #1, RapidRide #A, #F
Verdict: YES
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